Tip of the Week: Another e-mail scam makes its rounds

Friday

Oct 26, 2007 at 12:01 AM

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is warning businesses and the public about an e-mail scam circulating to companies.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is warning businesses and the public about an e-mail scam circulating to companies.
The commission, which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, said businesses have received e-mails that claim to be from the agency regarding a harassment complaint.
The bogus e-mail contains a “Trojan horse” virus that is likely to harm computers if the user clicks on Web links or downloads attached files.
The phony e-mail to employers -- being circulated under the subject “Harassment Complaint Update For” -- contains links where the respondent can allegedly access details of a fake discrimination charge filing.
The commission’s policy is to notify an employer of discrimination filings using the U.S. Postal System. Because of security concerns, e-mail is never used, according to the commission. If a company receives an e-mail notification of a charge being filed, it should be deleted immediately, the agency said.
The contents of the e-mail include a commission logo under the subject line and contain fake language from under a subject heading, “Employer Liability for Harassment.”
The agency believes the links also may be part of a “phishing” scam.
Phishing is the Internet term for a scam that tries to trick victims into revealing private personal and financial information.
For more information about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, visit www.eeoc.gov.
Canton Repository
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission scam e-mail excerpts
FROM: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
SUBJECT: “Harassment Complaint Update For (name)”
This is an automated e-mail that confirms the registration of harassment complaint (number). This harassment complaint can lead to law enforcement action. You can download and print a copy of this complaint to keep for your personal records here. (link)
Our staff will keep you updated regarding the status of our investigation.
To check the status of your complaint access: (link)

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